Since the earliest days of human history, a countless number of methods and agents have developed for the cleaning of objects. Many of them are based on the use of soaps or mechanical agents. The more modern methods utilize the cleaning effect of mainly detergents, surfactants, solvents, heat, water pressure or gas pressure.
A wide variety of methods by which objects for widely differing purposes can be cleaned are known from the state of the art. Most of these cleaning methods are based on a solubilizing, coagulating or aggregating effect of chemical agents, such as in particular solvents, detergents or, often interacting with the chemical agents, on an action of physical, in particular mechanical and/or thermal, forces.
In general, these cleaning methods have the disadvantage that they either pollute the environment, do not function to the desired extent or are to be produced or used in a manner that is elaborate in technical or equipment terms.
For example a method for cleaning objects using an aromatic hydrocarbon of the p-cymene, m-cymene, trimethylbenzene or ethyl toluene type followed by steam distillation to evaporate a formed azeotrope was proposed in WO 92/07058. Aside from the fact that the method cannot be used for every object of any size, these compounds have the disadvantage that they form explosive mixtures with air and are harmful to health.
EP 0638296 A1 reveals a method for cleaning in particular medical objects, according to which the objects to be cleaned are subjected alternately to a pressurized pulsating cleaning fluid and a pulsating air pressure. This method is also applicable only to a spectrum of objects that is narrowly limited in respect of size and is in addition associated with a specific apparatus.
EP 0496899 B1 (WO 92/03205) relates to a method for cleaning in particular electronic parts using non-aqueous solvents such as perfluorocarbons, hydrocarbons and silicones. The cleaning effect is achieved by treating perfluorocarbon with steam. The disadvantages already demonstrated are also inherent in this method.
The method described in WO 96/14382) is directed towards the cleaning of textile fibres, according to which the textile fibres are brought, at an increased temperature of between 60° C. and close to 100° C., into contact with a carbon dioxide-producing mixture of an aqueous carbonate solution and an acid as well as a quantity of surfactant that is effective for cleaning. A disadvantage here is that it is narrowly limited to the application of textile fibres, requires an energy input in the form of heat and that the different components may be used mixed or separated from each other only before application.